Once drivers hit the road for their morning commute, detour signs will be waiting for them.

"Knowing it's going to be closed for a month is not good news because the closest exit is Shaw and that's just another nightmare," Mitchell said.

As work begins for the southbound onramp to Highway 99, commuters will be detoured around the closure along Parkway Avenue two miles south to the Shaw Avenue onramp.

"Congestion in this area is extreme during rush hour and we're going to try to eliminate that," said Todd Barnes, a consulting engineer with Provost & Pritchard Consulting.

The closure is so work can begin on an expansion in the area, he said. This includes new street signals and ramp metering.

"We hope the public can bear with us to get the improvements in," Barnes added. "It will improve the circulation of the area."

That will be needed soon, especially with the New Marketplace at El Paseo being built on the east side of the Highway.

"It creates a huge inconvenience for everybody," said Mark Alcantar. "But that's to be expected with a huge real estate development."

Alcantar says the traffic troubles will be worth it especially because of all the new stores, like Target coming to Northwest Fresno. "There's some give and take," he said. "It helps everybody in the long run."